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Mercury and air quality to fall in Noida
Noida: After enjoying almost a week of good air, residents of Noida and adjoining areas may be in for a spell of heightened pollution. On Tuesday, the weather analysts
Noida: After enjoying almost a week of good air, residents of Noida and adjoining areas may be in for a spell of heightened pollution. On Tuesday, the weather analysts predicted that the minimum temperatures as well as the air quality are likely to decrease in the coming days.
On Tuesday, the minimum temperature of the region was recorded at 9.1 degrees Celsius (the season’s average) against 8 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The maximum temperature on Tuesday was 23.3 degrees Celsius, the same as that on Monday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature is likely to hover around 7 degrees Celsius by the weekend, and the minimum temperature around 22 degrees Celsius.
“On Wednesday, the sky will remain partly cloudy with shallow to moderate fog towards morning. The minimum temperature is likely to hover around 8 degrees Celsius,” an IMD official said.
Meanwhile, the air quality of the region oscillated between the upper range of the ‘poor’ category and lower ranges of ‘very poor’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index of Noida on Tuesday, on a scale of 0 to 500, was 273 against 275 a day earlier.
The AQI of Ghaziabad was 326 against 325 a day earlier, both considered ‘very oor’. The AQI of Greater Noida was 288 against 298 a day earlier, both in the ‘poor’ category.
According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the air quality is likely to deteriorate further towards the upper end of ‘very poor’ on December 6.
“A slight increase in fire count is estimated on December 2 as per Safar, is 332. The stubble transport-level winds are north-westerly but the wind speed is high and hence, the pollutants are not accumulating. The particulate matter (PM)2.5 contribution is predicted to touch 8% on December 4,” Safar said.
On Tuesday, the wind directions varied from west, south-west to north westerly with speeds varying from 4 to 14kmph. According to the IMD, the wind speed Wednesday will vary between 4-6kmph. The slower winds lead to accumulation of pollutants.
“The winds are calm during evenings due to which pollutants are accumulating. The region requires rain which is expected around November 12, or winds up to 20-25 kmph to flush out pollutants,” Mahesh Palawat, director private weather forecasting agency, Skymet, said.
